BASEL.- photo basel, Switzerland’s first and only art fair dedicated to the display and promotion of photography, returns to the Volkshaus Basel for its fifth anniversary edition. Curated by Daniel Blochwitz, an expert in photography, the fair runs from June 11 - 16, 2019 coinciding with the modern and contemporary art fair, Art Basel. This year the fair has expanded to span two floors of the Volkshaus Basel for the first time.
photo basel brings together 41 exhibitors from both emerging and established galleries across 15 countries including France, Japan, Israel and the United Kingdom. Newcomers to the fair include Atlas (United Kingdom), Galerie Clairefontaine (Luxembourg), Grob Gallery (Switzerland), Torch (The Netherlands), 29 Arts in Progress (Italy), Benrido (Japan) and Rothamel (Germany). Returning galleries include, Flatland (The Netherlands), Baudoin Lebon (France), Fabian & Claude Walter (Switzerland), Ira Stehmann (Germany), Bildhalle (Switzerland), Carlos Carvalho (Portugal), Galerie Springer (Germany), The Ravestijn Gallery (The Netherlands), Ibasho (Belgium), and Camara Oscura (Spain).
Alongside the main section of the fair, photo basel hosts the ALPA Award held in cooperation with the Swiss camera manufacturer ALPA®, as well as a private Zürich based collector. This was awarded to Yoko Ikeda of Ibasho Gallery, Antwerp in 2018. This year also marks the second iteration of the “Master Cabinet” showcasing specialist vintage prints, curated by Daniel Blochwitz and provided by participating galleries; all of which are for sale. Other special projects include a collector’s selection of works by Italian photographer Mario Giacomelli and a photo basel / in situ satellite exhibition at Basel based art space Heuberg24. The exhibition ‘i. collection: Poses et passion‘ has been curated by gallerist Baudoin Lebon (in cooperation with La Chapelle de Clairefontaine). photo basel also hosts the 2018 PP Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards. Founded in 2012, the awards celebrate the photobook’s contribution to the evolving narrative of photography. The exhibition includes 35 shortlisted books drawn from over 1,000 submissions from around the world that illustrate the highly sophisticated nature of photobook production today.
Daniel Blochwitz, curator of photo basel said: I am extremely excited be working with photo basel for a second year, the fair provides the photographic community with an excellent opportunity to highlight some of the most interesting emerging and established photographers of the last century. I look forward to seeing how gallerists will use the additional space provided by the expansion to curate their booths.
